[Anthology] The America Library of Poetry

Sadly enough, this vanity press is still in operation, and still preying on high school students. Someone I know entered the contest and received an "acceptance" letter right away. Luckily, they showed the letter to me, and I warned them away from this outfit, but the letter was enough to make me spit. It's designed to flatter the writer, and at the same time, to make them think they better take this offer of publication, because y'know, so many writers will never have this chance.

Vanity presses that are honest about themselves are one thing. This...this is no better than PA or poetry.com.

I just got an odd email from this outfit, offering to publish a poem I supposedly wrote and submitted in 8th grade (I am just entering my second year of grad school for the record). I have no memory of this, though they did have my name and middle school correct. Is this a typical MO or are they getting desperate, thinking (alas, wrongly) that I'll have plenty of money to throw around now that I'm not an 8th grader anymore?

Send them this:

"I'm not as dumb as you suppose.
I've grown much smarter, heaven knows.
You can have this poem for free.
Now I have to take a pee."

By definition, vanity presses cannot be honest about themselves, as they prey upon the vanity of the writer and must deceive in order to do so. Straightforward subsidy presses that eschew deception are another thing, although those are very rare birds.

--Ken

America Library of Poetry- Contest for Students/kids

I'm venting here and posting this as a warning for parents and others.

During the school year, my son's teacher submitted a poem of his, with permission, to this publisher's contest. We received a letter today stating that he's been entered and that his poem would be published in an anthology. An author's copy of the book goes for the discounted price of $39.95. I know a vanity anthology when I see one. I wonder how many teachers have submitted student work to the company.

I've written my son's teacher, Preditors and Editors, SCBWI, and Writer Beware. I keep imagining proud families spending money on this book that, in the end, really says nothing about the poems or the children who submitted. My son's take is that he wishes he hadn't wasted the submission. (I guess he does listen to mom.) The contest itself may be legitimate. We'll see if they announce winners.

Here's the link to their site: http://www.libraryofpoetry.com/

I think something similar happened to me when I was in middle or high school. I was so excited to hear my poem had "won" and would be included in the anthology. Then it turned out the anthology had literally hundreds of poems, printed tiny so that several could fit on one page. It was pretty clear everyone who'd paid to buy a copy had been included. Almost certainly a scam.

Debbie V said:

I'm venting here and posting this as a warning for parents and others.

During the school year, my son's teacher submitted a poem of his, with permission, to this publisher's contest. We received a letter today stating that he's been entered and that his poem would be published in an anthology. An author's copy of the book goes for the discounted price of $39.95. I know a vanity anthology when I see one. I wonder how many teachers have submitted student work to the company.

I've written my son's teacher, Preditors and Editors, SCBWI, and Writer Beware. I keep imagining proud families spending money on this book that, in the end, really says nothing about the poems or the children who submitted. My son's take is that he wishes he hadn't wasted the submission. (I guess he does listen to mom.) The contest itself may be legitimate. We'll see if they announce winners.

Here's the link to their site: http://www.libraryofpoetry.com/

Click to expand...

Really, these clowns are still around? Pretty sure I first heard about this when I was in high school, which was--well, never mind. I figured most teachers/schools would have caught onto this scam by now, but I suppose there are always younger ones coming up all the time who haven't encountered it. Thanks for the alert.

Yep, they're still around. As for teachers...these are the same teachers who themselves get sucked into vanity publishing. They don't know any better, or how to research.

Added to Filigree's Rule as a caution. I'd completely missed vanity poetry pubs!

Glad you're spreading the word, Filigree. I'll do my part to keep the teachers informed.

Oh lordy, yes. I'm 50 something and I remember those poetry things. Never bought the book though.

The American Library of Poetry (or something so close as to make no difference) was around when I was in high school too.

How I knew it wasn't real: Under their submission rules they wouldn't accept either "Kubla Khan" or "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner." Anything that wouldn't take those, I figured, wasn't interested in poetry.